Awaiting the Spirit as the Fathers divide
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Vatican II was said to throw back the shutters and make the Church more open to the world. But in week two of the synod, the sounds from the windows are of not only deep discussion but also profound disagreement. Can consensus yet emerge?
Family life can be a messy business. There are disagreements and arguments. Then, when children are involved, things get a little chaotic. At the same time, though, there is a glue that holds families together and so often bonds are forged in difficult moments. The same might be said of this synod which, at the end of its second week of discussions, has exposed the divisions – and some might say the mess – in the Church. On the one hand, there are cardinals and bishops who believe allowing Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics is im